That alone you are in the middle of a vast murmuring crowd. It may not be human but it’s everything else. – Alan Watts

Tonbi are hawk-like birds of prey known as Black Kites in English. They are very common in Japan as their numbers are stable due to both hunting and scavenging food patterns. They can be quite aggressive in open areas and consistently remind those picnicking that they are part of a much larger system and that it pays to keep an eye over-head.

Yugen is a term from Japanese aesthetics that approximates a sense of mystery and has been metaphorically described along the lines of cranes disappearing into the clouds behind a mountain. For me both the processes of writing mountain poetry and capturing images feels equal parts elusive and gratifying thus the name. Thank you for tolerating this small indulgence as part of a long tradition. – Adam Clark